Dissimilar
by Happy Yoshi
Summary: Missing an old trainer is a sentiment Snivy can't relate to, but she doesn't dare to dig any deeper. (in which Snivy and Tepig have a semi heart-to-heart.)


**A/N: time flies really fast, huh? feels like it was yesterday when i first discovered pokémon and played the games. now it's almost 2020. kinda bittersweet, in a way. so i guess this'll be my last fic of the decade ^^ i do have another one-shot planned! but i suppose that'll have to wait until next year~**

**this idea literally came to me at 3AM. one moment i was about to drift off to sleep, the next i was waking up in cold sweat, thinking "holy crap, i have a plot bunny."**

**some of the events retold here may be slightly inaccurate. that's because i'm on vacation, so i don't have wifi...this whole thing was written in notes on my phone, in the span of about four days XD i'll fix them eventually! it's just that i really wanted to post this before the end of the decade.**

**also, this one's gonna have some pov-switching. within the same scene. i think that's called omnipresent? anyway i apologize in advance if it's a little jarring.**

**edit: fixed a few typos/grammatical errors! guess i didn't proofread enough. sorry ;-;**

* * *

Their new friend is a snivy. Specifically, the female snivy that Ash had so much trouble with.

Tepig doesn't know much about her, other than the fact that she was a wild pokemon and she has the move Attract. He really wants to, though.

So, he tries.

"Snivy?" Pikachu parrots when Tepig asks him about the enigmatic grass-type perched on a rock, basking in the warm sunlight.

The group had decided to take a short break from travelling and settled in a small clearing. Pikachu was nibbling on an oran berry he'd found.

"Well, she's very quiet, so I don't know anything about her..." he replies, chewing slowly. "Heck, she hasn't said anything since Ash caught her. But she's pretty strong for a snivy." He frowns for a moment, as if recalling a bad memory, before shaking his head to dispel it. "For a moment, I didn't think we'd get her."

Tepig blinks. "Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, she took several Gusts to the face and maybe even a Quick Attack, not to mention still sustaining injuries from battling the rest of us. But when Ash threw that pokéball at her, she didn't even look like she was in that much pain."

"That's...interesting," Tepig remarks, before they move on to a different topic. But Pikachu's words continue to echo in his mind.

_"She's pretty strong for a snivy."_

_She probably would have beaten me if Ash hadn't returned me to my pokéball..._

Tepig gulps inwardly. He hopes she doesn't reject his attempts at friendship.

He can't bear to be rejected again.

* * *

"Snivy, was it?"

Looking down from her rock, the grass snake raises an eyebrow at the two pokemon staring at her.

"Well, yes," she replies airily. "And you are... Oshawott and Tepig, I take it?"

Oshawott grins. "Yep!" He seems ecstatic that she's acknowledging him by name. Tepig merely nods. His own knees are shaking, he notices, and if they keep it up he will crumple into an ungraceful heap and make a fool out of himself again—

"Sooo, I was just wondering," Oshawott continues, "what a pretty lady such as yourself was doing in the wilderness alone. I thought your species was exclusively available as Starter Pokémon."

Snivy doesn't answer at first, only flicks her tail and glares daggers at the soil.

The silence stretches into one that is less socially acceptable, and Oshawott breaks into a cold swear before you know it. "Say something!" he whispers harshly into Tepig's ear.

His ears shoot up. "Huh? Why me?"

"Because she's not saying anything back, so help me!"

Before Tepig can open his mouth again, she says, "That's really none of your business."

Oshawott gapes. "What?"

"How I ended up as a wild pokémon is none of your business," she clarifies, huffing. "All you need to know is that wild snivy do exist — we're just very rare. It's no different than wild oshawott, or wild tepig."

"But—"

She turns away. "I'm sunbathing, and you're blocking the light, so if you would be so kind as to leave me alone..."

_This conversation is over,_ is the not-so hidden message.

Dejected, Oshawott walks away. Tepig spares her one more glance before trotting after him.

* * *

Maybe it's the guilt from Oshawott's earlier actions nibbling at his mind, or maybe it's the fact that said pokémon and their trainer were next to the fire pig, snoring up a storm. Regardless, it's midnight, and Tepig can't sleep.

He opens his eyes, and his vision swims. The trees merge into one. The blue fabric that makes up the sky and the white dots that make up the stars blur. He squeezes his eyes shut and rapidly shakes his head to throw off the sleep, and when he opens them again his vision is clear.

Everyone's out of their pokéballs tonight, a luxury Tepig always treasures. It isn't that he hates being in a pokéball; he just prefers the open air and real, soft grass to the virtual grass and invisible walls. As per usual, Pikachu is cuddled up next to Ash. How he sleeps through Ash's snoring is beyond him. Oshawott and Pansage have settled close to Ash and Cilan's sleeping bags respectively, using them as makeshift pillows. Axew has opted to sleep inside Iris' sleeping bag with her. Snivy and Pidove are curled up at the foot of Ash's sleeping bag.

He tries to go to sleep again, but the snoring proves to be far too much for him. Spotting a river ahead, he decided to venture towards it to get a drink of water.

Little did he know that there were a pair of dark brown eyes scrutinizing his every move...

* * *

"Can't sleep?"

Startled, Tepig jumps and almost falls into the river. Once he gathers his bearings, he finds Snivy right behind him, arms crossed.

"W-Why are you here?" he blurts out.

"I saw you wandering off and just wanted to make sure you didn't stray too far." She huffs. "And you didn't answer my question."

"Oh... Yeah, I couldn't sleep." Tepig smiles slightly. "It's hard to when there are two snorers in our group."

Snivy smirks. "Heh. Tell me about it."

Another awkward silence falls between them. He's starting to see a pattern.

"Um," he begins, searching for the right words. "I'm sorry about what Oshawott said. He can be really..." He trails off.

"Tactless?" Snivy offers.

He nods, looking downcast. "Please forgive him. He's not a bad pokémon, just a really curious one."

She waves a leafy hand. "I don't know why _you're_ apologizing on his behalf, but I guess it's okay."

"Ah, um..." His ears droop. "I just don't want any bad blood between you two... We're supposed to be a team."

She smirks. "Fair enough." He's immediately overcome with relief.

Her eyes narrow. "Now it's my turn to ask a question." Oh no. "Trainers aren't supposed to have more than one starter, so why did Ash have a Tepig _and_ an Oshawott?"

And with that, they've fallen back into awkward silence territory. Tepig stares at his reflection in the rushing water, deep in thought. Snivy merely peers at her companion, arms still crossed. When he doesn't say anything after a while, she wonders if she should just change the subject.

Finally, he says something.

"My trainer abandoned me."

Her eyes snap wide open, and her jaw slacks. She feels frozen to the spot as the gears whirl in her head. _He used to belong to someone else, too._

Picking up on her surprise, Tepig launches into a tale. A tale of constant losses, rope chains and berry-less days. How Ash saved him when he was teetering on the brink of death, soot-covered and starving.

After a moment, she asks, "...Do you miss your old trainer?" She knows she's treading dangerous waters, even if he's decided to open up to her about his past. Heck, she's not even sure why she's asking this. It's not like she misses her trainer. It's not like she needs validation for not missing that _loser_.

Tepig looks up at the starry sky, his eyes distant but glassy and his mouth set in the slightest of frowns. "I'm not sure."

The way his expression points to 'yes' doesn't escape her.

It's a sentiment she can't relate to, but she doesn't dare to dig any deeper.

* * *

**Number of words:** 1221

**A/N: i'll admit that i have a love-hate relationship with the BW anime. it had the potential to be really good, especially because imo the pokémon-centric episode are fun, but it was held back by mediocre battles and ash just being an idiot overall (moreso than usual). **

**i also think snivy deserves more than she got, character development-wise. i mean, oshawott went from a manchild to a more mature 'mon. pignite went from having low self-esteem to being one of ash's more reliable unova pokemon. why didn't snivy ever get developement outside of being a cool big sis and ice queen-esque team mom?**

**then again, that's kind of why fanfiction exists, right? so we fans can fill in the blanks ourselves ^^ (as well as the emptiness that the anime didn't really fulfill)**

**rant-aside, thank for reading if you did! feedback is always appreciated~**


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